Ringo Starr, Chad Smith and Nancy Wilson were among those who turned out to celebrate Neil Young at a special pre-Grammy Awards event in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. The rocker was feted by the Producers & Engineers Wing of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the organisation behind the top prizegiving, at The Village recording studio in Los Angeles in recognition of his stellar career. Starr, Smith and Heart singer Wilson were in attendance at the event, where Dave Matthews paid tribute to Young on stage by singing his tracks My My, Hey Hey and The Needle And The Damage Done. After his performance, Matthews addressed his idol, saying, “As a person, you’re one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met in my life. I hope that I’m half the inspiration to people that you have been to me.” Young then took to the podium himself in front of the music industry crowd, and joked, “You’re honouring me, you’re honouring yourself. It’s not me. It’s you.” The Academy’s 56th annual Grammy Awards will take place in Los Angeles on Sunday.